If you do buy from wholesalers or private parties, access to cash for a quick close will be intrumental. 

Maybe even borrow private money to help fund the down payment.

But many lenders want to see the property and the ARV before its even considered such as Hard Money Lenders and private lenders.

I just skimmed your post, but it seems like you're asking for options to get started now, while bank/regular lenders want to wait until you have 24 months on the job (which is common by the way).Since you're so close, at 18 months, I'd say you should line up private/hard money just in case you come across any great deals, then when you qualify for bank financing you can refinance out the private/hard money loan with conventional financing.I frequently do this with properties, using private $ to buy a good deal quickly, then 6-12 months down the road (after I stabilize the property and give a good return to my lenders) I'll refinance with a regular bank loan.

While I did not finish college with a degree, I still managed to be promoted into a high paying position with a privately owned company where all of my coworkers in my position have degrees.

I would say that you have a better chance at starting by flipping and making money fast, maybe 10K-30K per flip, getting some help with private money lenders. 

If one wanted to keep track of previous/current investments, the rehab (if applicable), the cash flow (if applicable) and their profits upon sale (if applicable), for the purpose of building credibility with private lenders, does anyone have a good template/ideas for creating this?

Give me a Private message and I can give you my contact person I speak with directly. 

You can burrow with hard money or find a private lender if you have enough of a down payment.

You can also seek out private lending to cover the 15% down.